Doing time in care homes: insights into the experiences of care home residents in Germany during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Residents of care homes across the globe are affected by the spread of SARS-CoV-2 as they have been identified as a high-risk group and because they experienced strict social isolation regulations during the first wave of the pandemic. Social isolation of older people with poor physical and mental health is strongly associated with mental health problems and decreased life expectancy. Other research has shown that older people managed to adapt to the changes brought about by the pandemic and have linked this to the concept of resilience. The aim of this research project was to investigate how this applied to residents in care home settings during the first phases of the contact ban in Germany from sociology, developmental psychology and environmental gerontology perspectives, and to gain in-depth understanding of residents’ experiences. This paper draws on structured interview data collected from residents in two care homes during early June 2020 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The findings show that their experiences were shaped by three factors: care home settings and the approach of staff to handling the contact ban; biographical sense of resilience; and a hierarchy of life issues. The findings highlight the importance of locally specific response mechanisms in care homes, agency and belonging of residents despite health-related limitations and the importance of a critical (gendered) lens on understanding their experiences.

The Role of Country-Level Availability and Generosity of Healthcare Services, and Old-Age Ageism for Missed Healthcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic Control Measures in Europe

“…Future research should investigate how COVID-19 (and future epidemics) affected older adults living within institutional settings (beyond the community-dwelling population). These individuals form an important population that was especially vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and subsequent health complications ( Leontowitsch et al, 2021 ; Numbers & Brodaty, 2021 ). Additionally, future research should study the specific health consequences of these various types of missed healthcare.…”

„…nicht mal auf den Gang!“ – Das subjektive Empfinden institutioneller Maßnahmen während der Covid-19 Pandemie von Pflegeheimbewohnern. Eine qualitative Studie.

“…Deutlich wird allerdings auch, dass dieses Dilemma in vielerlei Hinsicht auch schon den vorpandemischen Alltag geprägt hat. Kontakteinschränkende Maßnahmen werden daher weitgehend unaufgeregt hingenommen [17,18]. Als große Belastung wird hingegen die Maßnahme der Zimmerquarantäne geschildert.…”

“…In früheren Studien taucht dieser Aspekt kaum auf. Möglicherweise, weil die Befragungszeitpunkte in einer früheren Phase der Pandemie lagen und viele Heime noch nicht zu dieser Maßnahme greifen mussten, um ein größeres Infektionsgeschehen einzudämmen [16][17][18]. Auch die bereits erlebte Isolation von Angehörigen und wiederholte Besuchsverbote könnten die psychischen Gesundheit der Pflegebedürftigen zum Zeitpunkt der Datenerhebung negativ beeinflusst haben [16,23] Die Rolle der Hausärzt * in für die Pflegeheimbewohner*innen in der Pandemie ist uneindeutig.…”

“…Erste qualitative Studien zum Erleben der Pandemie weisen jedoch zunächst auf ein großes Ausmaß an Adaption und Akzeptanz durch die Pflegebedürftigen hin. Diese erleben zwar viele der Maßnahmen als Einschränkung [16,17], es lassen sich aber auch Mechanismen identifizieren, die auf eine hohe Resilienz schließen lassen [18].…”

More than a visitor? Rethinking metaphors for family care in long-term care homes

“…Ontario offers a fitting case study with applications to other contexts (see Miller and Barrie 2022;Leontowitsch et al, 2021). Tensions in LTRC are also evident internationally, with studies linking tensions or even scandals to the dangers of privatisation or inadequate public-sector supports (Lloyd, 2014;Lopes, 2016;Armstrong and Armstrong, 2019) or to ageism and other forms and relations of oppression (Jönson, 2016;Faghanipour et al, 2020).…”